Turkey proposed the campaign pledge at the 31st UN Climate Change Conference
South Korea commits to advancing electrification at home and abroad
South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy announced Wednesday its support for the "35-by-35" campaign pledge proposed by Turkey at the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31).
The pledge aims to raise the share of electricity in global final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035. Turkey has called on participating countries to use the conference as an opportunity to share their electrification policies and implementation plans.
In response, the government sent Kang Geum-sil, South Korea's ambassador for global climate and environment, to a high-level dialogue on clean energy transition and electrification held Wednesday in Antalya, Turkey, as a special presidential envoy. Kang expressed the country's commitment to joining international efforts and underscored the importance of electrification as a key tool for achieving carbon neutrality.
At the event, the government presented major policies introduced this year — including the Energy Great Transition Promotion Plan announced in April, the First Basic Plan for Renewable Energy in May, and the Power Grid Innovation Measures in September — and explained how South Korea is leading electrification efforts. The government also said it plans to continue pursuing both the expansion of electrification and meaningful greenhouse gas reductions.
The government had previously expressed its intention to actively participate in international cooperation to help other countries build the foundation for electrification and transition to clean energy. Those efforts include promoting the electrification of industrial processes and the spread of clean energy technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, as well as the RISE ASIA Initiative announced in September, which draws on South Korea's accumulated technology and experience in the battery and electric vehicle sectors.
"Building on our support for the '35-by-35' pledge, we plan to accelerate the energy transition by linking domestic electrification expansion with decarbonization of the power sector, and to contribute to global carbon neutrality by sharing our policy experience and technological capabilities with the international community," the ministry said.
thlee@heraldcorp.com
